43 percent of Americans who belong to online communities say they feel just as strongly about their virtual worlds as their real-world counterparts.

Nonetheless, that's a pretty striking statement. Close to half of those who participate in virtual worlds feel as strongly about their online life as their meatspace one. Which tells me that while the current wave of Second Life stories are definitely overhyped, the underlying direction is dead on. There's gold in them thar virtual hills!